Computer data storage devices, such as magnetic disk drives, typically include some form of error checking and correction functionality such as the well-known Error Checking and Correction (ECC) deployed at the disk device firmware level. In the present state of the art, other types of error checking executed in accordance with flexibly determined criteria are typically performed by controller or higher-level system devices. As a consequence, data integrity checking below the controller on the data link between a host system and the disk surface is limited to conventional ECC that is automatically and inflexibly deployed. The passing of the data between the controller and the disk surface via disk read and write commands thus introduces opportunities for data corruption for which there is no flexibility of checking and/or response options.
It would therefore be desirable to have a method and system for deploying and scheduling data integrity checking whereby these limitations may be alleviated.